On Jan.28, 2001 Super Bowl Sunday, my Dad was found unconscious on the living room couch and was rushed to the emergancy room. They discovered that he had an aneurism that bursted on his brain and because of other complications, so they thought at the time, they gave him no chance of survival. They told us that it was just a waiting game and that they would do everything possible that they can do for him.
On the 3rd day, which after they told us he would never last that long, they decided to do the brain surgery. He came through it great! They told us that they have to keep him heavily sedated because when they would bring him off of sedation, he would become very agitated from all the tubing in his nose and throat. This wen on for quite a few weeks, so we decided that if the tubes were taken out and placed where they wouldn't bother him the could possibly wake up, so that is what we did.
After 2 1/2 weeks in coma, My Dad woke up!
My sister Michele was the first to see him awake and she will never forget that special moment with him. Slowly his family and friends were coming to see him and he remembered us all! We were so happy! He was getting therapy everyday and getting out of bed ( with alot of assistance) and it looked so hopefull! He smiled, gave me the thumbs-up, and joked with us even with all that tubing.
But after a week of joy and praise, my Dad took a turn fot the worse. What we witnessed weeks earlier, we witnessed again.They discovered he had another aneurism
in the back of his brain the part that controlled his entire body. They pronounced him clinically brain dead. Our joys quickly turned to sadness! We said our goodbyes to him late that afternoon as the machines kept his body alive.He was taken for organ donation, but later found out that all his organs were so badly damaged that they couldn't use them. So it was a blessing that good Lord took him home and that he didn't have to suffer.
My Dad was a wonderful son, brother, a loving husband, an awesome father and a very proud grandfather and one heck of a friend. Your life lives in us now and I am proud to say that he is my Dad , We miss and love you deeply. |
